Leap Day News

Upcoming special event: Read across America Day Celebration, 2:00-2:45 Wednesday 3/2

Thanks to everyone who made time to complete the Notice and Wonder activity with their child.   The questions you asked about the different math pictures were very probing and showed real engagement with mathematical ideas.  

This next week we are launching some new writing activities and beginning to talk about the state assessments.  We have not yet received any information about when we will be taking the tests.  I do not spend too much time practicing for the tests because I know the regular work we do in class will prepare the students to show what they know when they take the tests.  However I do like to give them some experience navigating the online assessments and in doing the particular kinds of thinking that standardized tests require.

If you would like some information about the tests and the standards please check out the following links.

PPS Overview of the SBAC tests and Common Core: http://www.pps.net/Page/732

State of Oregon Notice about Assessments including Opt Out information: http://www.ode.state.or.us/superintendent/priorities/opt-out-final.pdf

HOMEWORK THIS WEEK:   Due Friday 3/4

Weekly News!

This week I am sending home a new homework piece that I hope you will complete with your child.  This is a very open-ended Math routine we have been doing for the past few months.  I described it in last week’s note.  Simply, we look at a mathematical image and then discuss what we notice and wonder.  This is intended to be an open-ended and exploratory activity.  There is not a right answer.  If the class needs prompting I simply ask them to tell me what they see.  It is magical how putting observations into words drives our brain to make connections and inferences. I’m also going to ask the class to challenge you to pose a mathematical question about the images!

Our class has wrapped up our personal essays.  I am very pleased with the work they have done.  You should be receiving a typed copy of the essay with a self-reflection  attached.  

HOMEWORK THIS WEEK:   Due Friday 2/26

• READING: Daily reading and one Reading Journal Response.
• MATH: Notice and Wonder.

Names __________________________________________

Take a look at the images below.  Record what you notice and about the images and what you wonder.

What do you notice?

What do you wonder?

What do you notice?

What do you wonder?

Notice and Wonder

If you follow our classroom on Twitter you may have noticed that I interact sometimes with a lot of people who post about teaching Math.  Math was not my first love.  I’ve always been more of a Literacy guy.  But seeing all of the amazing work that my virtual colleagues of the (ahem) Math Twitter Blogosphere has given me inspiration and a lot of ideas.  One of the key techniques I’ve garnered  is called “Notice and Wonder.”  It is nothing too sophisticated; in fact it is quite simple.  You present an interesting mathematical picture or graphic and ask students what they notice and wonder.  What happens can be a slow burn but is always kind of magical.  Slowly students start to perk up.  They will ask questions and share startling mathematical realizations and connections that I would never think to show them.  

This process feeds a student’s independent stance toward learning.  It gives them ownership of the learning and challenges them to find their own way into understanding a situation.  At this point in our time together this is my main goal for students.

In the coming weeks, I will be sending home interesting images that pertain to mathematical ideas and simply ask students to notice and wonder.  I hope you will join them in adding your observations and questions.

HOMEWORK THIS WEEK:   Due Friday 2/19

• READING: Daily reading and one Reading Journal Response.
• MATH: Practice pages!

Wapping up essays

Thanks to everyone who responded to the favorite place family interviews.  We learned about our connections to places all around the world.  If you have not yet had worked on your family interview, please do so this week.  

This past weekend I read through all of our class’s essay drafts.  What a treat.  The students have tackled some mature essay concepts like making a clear claim in a thesis statement, backing the claim up with evidence and then connecting the evidence to the thesis with analysis. The essays are based on “I believe” pieces that are collected at http://thisibelieve.org/  I was moved by the anecdotal evidence our young writers included in their pieces: tales of triumph, woe and resilience.

In the coming weeks we are going to break out an old type kit I created with a previous class so that students can typeset their thesis statements and print a few posters.  If you are available in the afternoon this week to help set type and print please send me a note or a text.

HOMEWORK THIS WEEK:   Due Friday 2/12

• Family interviews if not yet complete
• READING: Daily reading and one Reading Journal Response.
• MATH: Practice pages!

Places that are Important to Us

Do you have a favorite place to be? What makes it your favorite?  Is it beautiful or peaceful? Do you feel at home there?  Or is it a place that is important to your story?  How about a favorite building or a favorite sculpture?  These are some questions our class will be exploring in anticipation of our upcoming historical inquiry.  We will be studying various unsung heroes and unknown stories of Oregon History.  Students are going to pick one to study with the goal of coming to understand the social, cultural and political forces that shape the story of our place.  This will culminate in them designing a memorial to commemorate and explain the importance of their inquiry topic.  To get some practice as a group, we are studying the history of the Grand Ronde Tribes, focusing on their displacement and forced resettlement.  How could we commemorate and share this often untold story?

Which brings us to the places that are important to you.  To build a personal, fundamental connection to these kinds of stories, I am asking students to gather information from you and other family members about places that are important to you.  Please help them fill out the family interview sheet when you have time.  If you are able to reach out to other family members that would add so much.   This will replace our usual Math homework for this week. As always, please get in touch if you have any questions.

HOMEWORK THIS WEEK:   Due Friday 2/5

• Family interviews
• READING: Daily reading and one Reading Journal Response.

New energy

Hi everyone. The kids are at PE and I’m sitting here just thinking. I can see it raining through the window which is hung with the artwork students made last week with Gina. Against one wall, students have stored new book boxes for their stuff. Tracy got them for us because Mr. Lauer got us new smaller footprint tables that don’t have cubbies. Right next to the new spot for the projector cart where I often sit there are also some new little red leather ottomans. Between those, the beanbag, the floor level table with carpet squares, the pilates ball, the personal tote pod and the hokke stools, I think we have a decent selection of seating options. The pipeburst flood that displaced us for a bit has turned out to be a net gain. The room feels so much more open and flexible. There is a new energy.

This is one thing I really appreciate about Lewis. We try things out with furniture, with teaching methods, with technology and if they work, we keep them and share them. If they don’t we keep trying. It also means we can adapt and roll with the unexpected. Just sitting here for this quiet moment, feeling newly at home, made me want to note that. Thanks for everyone who makes this a place where my own learning is embraced as much as the students'.

HOMEWORK THIS WEEK: Due Friday 1/29

● MATH: Math challenge
● READING: Daily reading and one Reading Journal Response. 

Responding to Essays and Sharing Beliefs

I hope you had a restful weekend and occasion to reflect on the legacy of Dr. King and the work we have ahead of us.  As you know, our students have been writing personal essays that explain and argue for a principle or belief they hold dearly.  This is a great way for them to learn new academic skills but it is also a way for them to write their way into a mature understanding of the impact personal principles have on our choices and decisions in life.  

Because you are the key source of your child’s perspectives, I’m hoping you will be able to support them in writing the essay. Attached is a response sheet for you to use in responding to your child’s draft.  The drafts will becoming in different stages of completion so you will have to adjust the balance of feedback based upon where they are in the writing process.  Some students may still be in the stage of developing their ideas and clarifying their thinking.  Some students may have a fairly polished draft.  Your feedback does not need to be very long. My hope is that you get a peek into our writing work as well as a chance to help them refine their thinking and expression.  There is no need to “fix up” or finish.  We will get to that next week in class!  I find the best way to help is to notice what’s working and then offer one or two ways to improve or develop the piece.  Thanks in advance for your help with this.

If you’d like some more ideas about how to help your child, take a look at how this teacher works with a young writer:

https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/improving-student-writing

HOMEWORK THIS WEEK:   Due Friday 1/22

• MATH: Missing Questions Math!
• READING: Daily reading and but no Response this week because of …
• Writing: Getting feedback on essay drafts. Students planning next steps.